Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1919 — Page 2

FIUME RICHPRIZE of WAR!

AMERICAN TROOPS PREVENT CLASH WHILE FUTURE OF \ GREAT BALKAN PORT IS / \ BEING DETERMINED /

By LLOYD ALLEN.

Special Staff Correapendent. (Copyright, 1919, Wastern Newspaper Union.) !— ■7^ lUME.—Jammed with allied troops mainly Italian infantrymen, and with ■4 its harbor crowded with warships, Flume, once the property of Austria, ■ one of the fine deep-water ports on JL the Istrian peninsula opposite Italy, TJ2JSJ2Z was a veritable volcano during the HcmuK early peace conference days. The great war had started in the Balkans, of w hich Flume is a part, and for a time, while the peace conference was getting down to business, it seemed altogether possible that there would be a final flare-up in Flume before .the European battle flags were finally furled. Before the war had actually ceased—before Austria. had signed an armistice with the Italian supreme command —trouble started in Flume with the evacuation of the Austrian officials who had governed the town. Two or three days before the armistice was signed the Croatians, representing the Jugo-Slav state being formed of Balkan peo-

ples, endeavored to seize the city and keep the Italian residents from setting up a form of local government, Italians In Flume said. That was early In November. By the middle of January, when I visited the city with the first party of newspaper men permitted In the region after the cessation of hostilities, the Jugo-Slavs had not lost hope of finally owning Flume; and the Italians there, backed by a division of infantry, had not lost one whit of their enthusiasm for retaining this port for their own nation. Street clashes were frequent between

these groups and serious trouble was threatened. It was only the thought that back in Paris thoughtful statesmen were assembling fully determined to settle once for all the possibility of war, that enabled one to go through Flume without making the prediction that the war was in its Infancy rather than at its end. For some unknown reason Flume was not Included in the list of “towns alloted Italy In that now famous pact of London, which was signed by the allies just before Italy entered the war. Pola and Triste, ports on the Adriatic, and situated on the Istrian peninsula, were given to Italy. Italian possession of the last-named cities was more or less unquestioned. But Flume was literally a No Man’s Land when the peace conference started, although neither Italy nor the Jugo-Slavs would admit as much.’ American* a* Mediator*. America had a really prominent part in the affair, a noncommital part, because we were not one of the nations signing the pact of London. In every respect we were neutral. But we had one warship and four destroyers in the harbor, and a battalion of soldiers ashore, and our colors were cheered with enthusiasm by both elements contesting for possession of the city; America’s popularity may in a measure be judged by the fact that one of the local hotels had just been rechristened Hotel Wilson, and there were numerous American flags in evidence also pictures of President Wilson. While small in number —the American soldiery numbered only a battalion —our troops had a prestige that was wholly out of proportion to their numerical strength. The responsibility of patrolling the streets and maintaining quiet was divided among the four allied nations. In this job Amer lean troops had one /quarter of the work to perform, since each street patrol was composed of four soldiers —a Frenchman, an Italian, a British Tommy and an American. They walked in fours abreast, and ybu could see several such groups in even a brief survey of the city from one of the principal business corners. Somehow or other the patrols managed to Com verse with each other. The Americans, and English could understand one another, of course, and the Italian and French could talk. Then in each patrol there were usually one or two men that knew a few words of either Latin or English, so the men bad little or no trouble in transmitting a given idea about. Most of the American boys weqj natives of Ohio, although Lieut. Col. Willjam Everson, their commander, hailed from Indiana. Among the under officers were strapping young fellows mainly from the middle West. One of these explained to me some of the Importance that had been thrust on the American contingent through the development of the political situation. ■ . “We are mediators here,” the officer said, ‘‘and are rather popular all arottnd. In a. way, our outfit la sitting on the lid. When we get off trouble Is going to break ont right away. The Jugo-Slavs are mobilizing "an arihy back in the country. Several Slavs we know,, natives of this community, received their orders to go to camp. Should we leave it’s a moral certainty the Jugo-Slavs and Italian troops will clash before long.” • French Are Accused. The actual contention, however, was not between the Jugo-Slavs, as such, and the Italians, but between the Italians and the French. The highest Italian officials In this Istrian territory believed the French'"eCe backing tfee Jugo-Slavs. arming them and encouraging them in their demand* for

Flume, as well as other sections of the Dalmatian coast, that rocky stretch of country that is located on the Adriatic shore opposite Italy. Dr. Antonio Grosslch, acting president of the Flume international council, a political group elected by the citizens of Italian descent in the town, directly accused the French of backing the Jugo-Slavs, while Vice Admiral Cagnl of the Italian navy, commanding the port of Pola, a few miles up the coast from Flume, repeated the accusation and strengthened it. “The Jugo-Slavs,” Admiral Cagnl said, “are peoples that formed a large portion of the old Austrian army. They remained faithful to Austria until the final defeat. They fought Italy to the last ditch. Now these same troops are being armed by the French, against Italy. We understand the move perfectly.” Other Italian officials of lesser rank repeated the assertion in one form or another. This, in brief, was the kernel of the problem, not only of Flume, but of most of the lands along the Balkan side of the Adriatic. No one, except the most impressionable. pretended, to believe the situation would develop into a real war. The solution was to be some kind of a compromise to be made at the peace conference. Thomas Nelson Page. American ambassador at Rome, was of the opinion that a satisfactory compromise solution could be arrived at. But he asserted that, in his belief, the Italian people would fight for what they considered their rights in case the Italian claims to the eastern Adriatic shore were ignored. The ambassador did not mean that the peace conference would award Italy every inch of lands claimed in this region. Other American diplomats who were familiar with the problem expressed virtually the same belief —that Italy is entitled tp a very fair consideration of her Istrian and Dalmatian claims, but that these claims will probably not be fully awarded. There was some talk in semiofficial quarters of an internationalized Flume—a kind of free port — serving Hungary, the Balkans, and the Istrian peninsula is the transshipment of overseas freight. Prize Worth Seeking. Flume is a prize worth striving for. Whatever flag finally flies from its government offices will wave over a town famous for the beauty of Its buildings and the amplitude of its docking facilities. < . - At a cost of more than 540.000.000 the Hungarians built magnificent stone wharves along nearly half a mile of waterfront, where the big ocean-going ships can tie up and unload. The docks face the principal business street of the city. On rhe one hand you have a forest of masts and 300 feet away, across a paved street, is a vista of stone business houses and hotels. In the city there are 56.000 people, hundreds of whom speak seven languages as a matter of everyday routine. Italian, French, German, Hungarian and English are the. principal tongues. The other* languages are! the more common tongues of the* Balkan states, including the Croatian. The Italian tongue, however, is admittedly the common language of Fiume. for the reason that a majority of the citizens claim Italian ancestry. The mayor of the town claims that 36,000 of the 56 000 inhabitants are Italian, and pointed to the fact that the schools of the city are ItaUan, as well as the inscriptions on 90* per cent of the, gravestones. All of which he considered as fair proof of the Italian character of the place, which had been preserved through centuries of Austrian rule. s. •■£ ■ " ■' v

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN,

senior British port officer. In the harbor an American. Admiral was at the head of the American naval affairs aboard the cruiser Birmingham. The American force afloat consisted of the four destroyers Stribling, Gregory, Luce «nd Caesaf. We heard that the Olympia, Admiral Dewey s flagship at the battle of Manila bay and lately from the Ice-bound Russian port of Arch angel, was due to arrive in a few days with an outfit of marines. Food Price* Tumble. As to the people of Fiume, they were commencing to enjoy the fruits of peace, even, though their towh possessed a warlike aspect; the fo ® d b,< ’ c ade had been broken and high P rl f es bad ‘ bled. With the arrival of the first allied foodships the terrible war prices common in Fiume, as we as in other portions of Austria, became a memory. The food control policy of the Austrians, as well as the Germans, had been fundamentally wrong. All through the war the rich .could buy foodstuffs, and could hoard, while the poor had to get along the best way possible. Prices consequently attained an unheard of level. - Rice of which large quantities are consumed even in peace times, cost $lO a pound, and soon after the armistice was signed dropped to 45 cents a pound, which was high enough, everyone granted. During the war days wheat flour cost from 34 to $6 a pound; beet sugar retailed at $3 a pound; corn flour cost $4 a pound. Further north in Austria prices were even higher. On account of the shortage in the supply of linen and cotton goods the cost of these materials also soared. Thread, during the war, cost $3- a spool In Flume. One linen sheet cost $175; a suit of clothing made by a tailor cost S6OO, and an ordinary cotton shirt cost S6O. Shoes made of leather and leather substitutes brought $225. Tea ana coffee, especially the latter, which Is largely used in the Balkans, cost $35 a pound. The death rate among the very young and the very old was horrible during the war days. Not only was the younger generation, born Just prior to the war, a great sufferer from the food shortage but the babies born this year are physically and’mentallv unfit. This is true not only irk Fiume and the Istrian peninsula, but throughout Hungary uid Austria, men who had investigated tlui situation told me. American food experts verified the statements. In the mind’s eye of Italian officials, Fiume Is not a war-ravaged city, but the beginning of a prosperous metropolis, peopled by Italians largely and open to the peoples of the world. Italy sacrificed 460,000 men killed in action, and nearly a million wounded, in order to overcome German domination through central Europe, also to restore to Italy some of those lands that are adjacent to the motherland. The Italians are advancing a strictly military argument for possession of Fiume and a part of the Dalmatian coast at least. Not only are these lands largely peopled with Italians who speak the 4 language; but the lands themselves possess advantages in a military way that Italy must take into consideration if she is to develop into a firstclass nation. ’ From Trieste, down the coast’ of the Adriatic to Valona, the coastline is rugged and contains stores of harbors and inlets which afford excellent shelter to enemy warcraft. The Italian coast, from Venice ’ to Brindisi, on the other side of thef’sea, is only five hours steaming distance away for fast warship®, and the Coast itself is flat and marshy ami difficult to defend.

The argument used by the Italian officials everywhere, for final possession of Flume, is bused on the declaration that Flume is as much a part of Italy, as far as character of population is concerned, as Venice, or Milan, and that, therefore, under President Wilson’s doctrine of self-determination of peoples, the city, by an election and consent of its inhabitants, should become a permanent part of tbe Italian nation. During the peace conference Fiume had probably the largest and most liberally assorted police force of any town in Europe. Ther< j was an entire division of Italian infak'ry there, commanded by Gen. Di San Marzano. It was this contingent, entering the city November 17, 1918, that gave the Italian international council, and the strongly pro-Itallan board of aidermen, the authority to discourage the aspirations of some Croatian troops (Jugo-Slavs) that had entered the town Immediately after the Italian-Austrian armistice was signed, endeavoring to start a Jugo-Slav regime at once. General Tranie commanded a regiment of French and Serbian soldiers. There was also a regiment of British soldiers there, In charge of Brigadier General Gordon, with Sir Thomas Picton as

FEW NEW FABRICS

No Distinct Changes in Materials for Spring Wear. “ Gabardine, Tricot, Serges, Tricotine, Tweed, Homespun and Broadcloth and Variety ot Silke. ii i As social life returns to Its normal course more and more thought is given to dress. It is too early in the season for any very radical change in fashions to be established, but it Is most interesting to watch the development of the Individual ideas of the designera. There will be no distinct change in materials, since as yet very few new fabrics have been made. A little of everything is seen, gabardine,' 1 tricot; serges, tricotine, tweed, homespun a§d broadcloth. Among the silks one notes a great variety and also fabrics of American make that are composed of silk and wool with a predominance of silk. Many new colors will make their appearance this spring, and there will be a wider variety to choose from than in recent seasons. The new silhouette is a matter that is uppermost in the minds of the designers at the moment. It Is predicted by a few of those in a position to note the trend of the times that the mode will gradually emerge from the extreme simplicity of the last few seasons and once again the more complicated silhouette will be in evidence. The advance models, however, give no indicatlpnpfthis change. A Jtnajority of the tailored suits of summery aspect are built upon severely plain lines, slim and straight as those of this winter. The coat, for Instance, may be built without the slightest curve at the waist line and the front left open to show a long sweater-like waistcoat which has no visible fastening. The skirt is also straight and slim, and while there is a slit at the back to give Its wearer more comfort in walking the material crosses over so that the slit is not visible. Very pretty simple one-piece frocks of silk, tricotine or wool in light .weight and in light colors or all white are noted. A smart little model was fashioned from a Ibvely, soft creamy white gabardine with large collar and cuffs of white silk. The frock was caught in loosely at the waistline by a white silk cord which tied at the back and extended half the skirt length, the ends being finished with tassels. The back of the skirt was made wdth four deep folds slightly gathered in flounce effect There are numerous pipe models of light weight xvoolen shown for the benefit of the southern trade. They are made In various styles and of various materials.

INDIAN DESIGNS IN RIBBON

Colors Are Delicate and Suggest a Beautiful Panama Hat; Deeper Tones for Outing Hats. Smart ribbons have been brought out in Indian designs for outing hats for women. While the designs are Indian, the colors are delicate and suggest a beautiful Panama hat. In the deeper tones for outing hats there are ribbons of Roman effect. The polka dot is. good for hat trimming, and in larger sizes, in the wider ribbons, each dot as big as an apple. There are beautiful things in twotone ribbons, one side one color and one the other. Some of these are all in the pastel shades and others in deeper tones, contrasting colors brought together. Two colors are also used in beautiful quality grosgrain

STRICTLY TAILORED SUIT

Indications are that this style of strictly tailored suit of mode shade will ne decidedly popular among the careful dressers this spring.

LATE FASHION FROM PARIS

This Is a straw hat entirely covered with fimbriated satin ribbon, with black velvet ribbon around the crown, and Is regarded as an exquisite creation.

ribbons, these having the body and edge different with rich contrasts. Handsome broad metallic ribbons are rich and heavy, made to wholesale at SSO a bolt of ten yardk. A ribbon, not new this year, but deep and rich in color and design, the latter Egyptian, is the Cleopatra, and a ribbon suggesting cubist art in color and design as well as the war is aviation. Ribbons in delicate colors and soft brocades in all widths are for the trousseau.

APRON IS A BECOMING AFFAIR

Tricksy Thing of Pink. Striped Gingham Donned by Many of the Happy Little Brides. An apron is really a pretty and a charming thing when its artistic possibilities are considered, and it may be made a becoming affair. Usually it is the little bride who affects aprons that have charm; her morning aprons are tricksy affairs of pink striped gingham, with a smart flare in the skirt part and a coquettish little bib above the waist line —and very crisp strings that tie. in a big bow behind. An elderly housekeeper would feel a bit foolish In such an apron—even though when she goes to a matinee she wears a dainty blouse quite as youthful as any the little bride would select. The house apron of the average good housekeeper is made of checked gingham with a narrow belt band that pins at the back. This unbeautfful but extremely practical affair is donned when household labors demand protection of the gown—but you never catch the housekeeper at the front door in it, as sometimes you catch the little bride In her bewllderingly becoming pink print apron. There seems to be no good reason why every house apron should not have the qualities of grace and becomingness. Why wear checked brown gingham if pale blue chambray matches one’s eyes; or blue checked gingham if something tn pink print will set off one’s complexion? And why a straight, shapeless apron when a really smart one with circular shaped skirt with a bib with extensions that button at the back of the neck can be obtained at modest price or manufactured in an hour or two in the home sewing room?

RUFFLES ARE MUCH IN USE

Trimming Used to Edge Girdles, Collars, Sash Ends, to Trim Tunics and Other Ways. The extensive use of fine plaited ruffles, by the way, is an Interesting feature of the hew season. This trimming is from one-half inch wide to three inches and is used to edge girdles, fichu collars, sash ends and is applied in endless ways to trim apron tunics and overskirts. An effective and extremely new trimming is colored organdy, which is much used on silks. A large figured foulard in navy blue and white has a soft shawl collar of dark blue organdy, and the flowing cuffs and sash are of it. Navy blue organdy is also attractively applied on oyster white crepe de chine in zigzag inch wide rows at the hips, and at the bottom of tfie skirt and is used for the vestee. Chemisettes in white batiste, tucked and lace trimmed, pre strongly in evidence on taffeta, satin and faille silk frocks. For the most part the chemisette is collarless and is fitted into the low round or oval neck of the frock. Sometimes the frock is slashed Several inches in front where the chemisette shows through. Embroidered georgette and crepe de chine are also used for the chemisette.

SOME FASHION NOTES.

The new vest collars are made of pjque. Tailor-made suits are almost classically plain. Iridescent embroidered tulle is popular for evening robes. The spring hats display brims wide at the aides. • The best waists have their collar idea repeated in their cuffs. Tis said the new skirts will hang six inches from the ground. For sport wear are the Buster Brown waists developed in voile. Long tight sleeves are usually seen on the simpler woolen frocks.